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CD Reviews

Gill Sandell's debut album TARRY AWHILE has been some time in the making due to other commitments, not least her role in Emily Barker's Red Clay Halo, the four-piece all female acoustic band that is once again currently doing the rounds in the UK. The album has been prepared especially for this...

I suppose the worst thing you could do when you first become aware of Ben Prestage is to confuse him or compare him with Seasick Steve, which I imagine is often the case. Yes the full on beard is there, the baseball cap, the seated guitarist propping up an unusually designed homemade stringed...

Whenever the latest Chris While and Julie Matthews album arrives, it always goes without saying that you're going to be treated to an hour of quality music. It's then usually followed by a flick of the coffee percolator switch, maybe even worth risking a Kit-Kat at the same time, just to make the...

As Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo prepare for the release of their third album ALMANAC in the autumn, they tease us mercilessly with the single Little Deaths , an enchanting taster of what's hopefully to come. Once again showcasing Emily's rich lead vocal, together with no small help from her...

The third solo album from former Cherish the Ladies vocalist Heidi Talbot sees the singer teaming up both personally and professionally once again with John McCusker who produces this delightful collection of songs. Heidi's Boo Hewerdine produced second album IN LOVE + LIGHT (2008) saw the first...

Wakey Wakey!! Jez Lowe invites us to tune into the WOTCHEOR! radio show, with his Bad Pennies, Kate Bramley on fiddle and mandolin, Andy May on Northumbrian pipes, piano, harmonium and accordion and David De La Haye on fretless bass and percussion with all providing vocals, together with a full...

I first became aware of Welsh band Mabon at the Shepley Spring Festival in 2009, where their energetic and vibrant wall of sound warmed the cockles of hearts and bones simultaneously. Drawing from many influences including the traditional music of the Celts, French mazurka and Galician munera, the...

Originally commissioned by Cumbria's Brampton Live in January 2010, All Along the Wall is a project that brought together five notable songwriters and two poets in order to collaborate over a five day period, leading up to the performance we hear on this CD, recorded live at The Wave in Maryport...

You get to the stage where you think nothing can possibly surprise you. When I first saw the publicity shots and cover artwork for Tensheds' second album CRAZY BEAUTIFUL, the follow up to CLOCKWORK (2008), I think I must have had my judgemental hat on, for I just didn't expect to find anything...

Like a breath of fresh air Roosevelt Dime's new album STEAMBOAT SOUL comes at a time when we could all do with a little bit of New Orleans spark and glow. Following their impressive debut CROOKED ROOTS (2009) this new album evokes the spirit of New Orleans and the Mississippi River, incorporating...